Today’s college students want a housing environment that reflects a dynamic blend between contemporary and functional design. The pandemic also induced new preferences for social spaces and amenities. These factors are influencing how architects and designers approach student housing projects to deliver spaces that students want to be in.
BKV Group provides services in multifamily and student housing interior design, architecture, urban design and landscape architecture, branding and other disciplines. BKV started designing student housing projects in Minneapolis before expanding to multiple states.
The firm has provided architecture and design services for 30 million square feet of student housing and has completed projects in 16 states, and in markets that include Dallas, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Philadelphia.
Multi-Housing News spoke with firm CEO Jack Boarman about design strategies that cater to the modern student and the considerations that inspire the best experience for residents.
How has student housing design evolved?
Today, student housing can be anything from a townhouse to a row home to a 40-story high-rise and can range from very urban to suburban to non-urban. Projects are incorporating design attributes of hoteling and contemporary market-rate housing and especially urban housing.
From 2010-2019, there was a trend for bigger and better—bigger courtyards, pool decks, roof gardens—and all the units were the same. Then we saw an evolution away from four-bedroom, four-bath suites to an arrangement of different suites that were a half-and-half mix between market-rate apartment style and traditional suites.
During COVID, students needed amenity space that would allow them to be somewhat separated but still visually connected. We were planning more space for each person. For some developers, bedroom spaces got a little larger and living rooms got a little smaller because people were occupying spaces differently.
What design strategies are you implementing to meet the modern student’s preferences?
We’re creating amenity spaces that are much more diverse. We’re including coworking areas and larger gathering areas, but also inserting individual areas within amenity spaces.
There’s a focus on a sustainable environment, which is connected to students’ desire to be respectful of the environment. In harmony with that, we use sustainable materials and take a holistic approach when designing air, water and lighting elements.
We’re also blending some of the common areas with outdoor spaces. You’ll see more indoor-outdoor combinations. We want to maintain the openness between spaces, without sacrificing the social connectedness that’s important to students.
How does the specific purpose of a space influence its layout and design?
Students need to be able to gather in spaces that are the right size. Instead of a huge enclosed room, you can have a larger, open room that separates into smaller “rooms” with planters, dividers, folding walls or glass partitions.
In July and August, leasing areas accommodate a surge of students, so you need to be able to expand the larger crowd of people into a connected sitting area. But you also don’t want the space to feel huge when it isn’t fully occupied.
The roof can be used to blend multiple amenity niches, such as grilling areas, pool decks, cabanas, seating and landscape areas. The individual elements don’t need to be very big because they are combined together and they create a bigger environment.
The roof is also used for outdoor functions, such as Saturday football games, so you can make the space even bigger when you combine it with an indoor space that’s separated by a movable wall.
How do you connect with students through design and amenities?
You need to create a comfortable environment for the students, taking into account their likes and dislikes. Their taste is more concentrated compared to the demographic of a market-rate project. We make sure spaces are the right size and that they have access to areas when they need a break from studying and when they need to take care of their mental health.
We’re also seeing an emphasis on wellness areas in many projects, and this is sometimes more important than a golf simulator. Wellness amenities, such as personal steam baths, yoga studios, massage services and outside vendor fitness offerings, have become more important to students.
More students want outdoor terrace or balcony space, because more students have pets. Café and food services and vending options that offer 24/7 access are very important. Students want to use their phones for everything, from package delivery to building access to direct delivery.
How do you alleviate the challenges that come with designing student housing?
Because we’re a holistic design firm, we’re able to create efficiencies and nuances to save costs without reducing the vison or the quality of the project. There are a lot of things that go into a building that you don’t see, and those items need to be refined and redundancies eliminated, so you can save the money in the budget for the things that the student touches and feels. That’s the biggest challenge.
Not only do we want to use materials that support sustainability, but we also want to help the developer save on operating costs and maximize efficiency.
For example, we may design a passageway instead of a dedicated room to function as the mail area, to open that space up to be used in a different way. You have to think creatively about how things are laid out. There are always ways to either move money around or save money behind the walls, so it can be used for the things the student touches.
What trends or techniques will shape student housing design in the future?
We’re promoting panelized and modular housing. Modularizing bedroom, bathroom and living room components creates more efficiency in the construction process.
It’s an uphill battle because it’s a manufactured-based process, so you need a plant. It’s working well in the light gauge panelization process for Type 1 buildings up to 180 feet, although it can’t be used in the wood-frame construction yet.
There’s progress in three- and four-story applications in workforce housing, and that industry is easily adaptable to student housing. This technique will help lower development costs and offer another delivery option for student housing projects.
Read the June 2023 issue of MHN.
